Stand By Your Man
by Spicetwist
Summary: When Jason is accused of a murder he didn't commit, he and Gia set out to prove his innocence.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Felicia Scorpio-Jones stood on the docks waiting for Roy.  He had just called her on her cell phone to let her know that he was running a little late.

While she was waiting, she stared at the new building that Roy had just purchased yesterday.  It was an abandoned warehouse.  He seemed awfully interested in buying up waterfront property recently. First Pier 52 and now this building. 

She saw a figure walk up to the building.  He looked around like he was trying to see if he had been followed.  She recognized the man.  It was Jason Morgan.

"What's he doing in Roy's building?" she asked herself.

Felicia was so interested in what she was seeing that she didn't hear Roy walk up behind her.  He tapped her on the shoulder.  She jumped and spun around.  When she saw that it was Roy, she exhaled sharply.

"You scared me," she said.

"Sorry.  What were you so interested in?"

"Jason Morgan just went into your new warehouse."

Roy turned to look at he warehouse and could see flames inside.  Before he could say anything, they heard the sound of a gunshot coming from inside.

Roy and Felicia looked at each other then back to the warehouse.  They weren't sure whether or not they had imagined the gunshot.  As they stood there watching, Jason came out of the warehouse.  He walked off and disappeared into the shadows.

The flames were now shooting out of the windows.  "Call the fire department!" Roy yelled running toward the warehouse.  He tried to get inside, but the flames were too intense.

About five minutes later, the fire department pulled up.  "Is anyone inside?" one of the firefighters asked.

"I think so," Roy answered before the police pushed him back away from the building.

He and Felicia stood behind the police line watching.  It took the firefighters about forty-five minutes to get the blaze under control.  One of the firefighters approached the cop standing near them.

"Officer, we found a body inside.  It looks like it may have been a young man."

"May have been?"

"Yes, the body was burned beyond recognition.  But we found this wallet laying near the body.  It wasn't burned too bad," the firefighter said handing the wallet to the cop.  "But there is something else you should know.  I don't think the man was killed by the fire, he was shot."

The cop turned to Roy and Felicia.  "You two were down here.  Did you see anyone snooping around this building?"

Felicia nodded.  "We saw Jason Morgan leave the building just a few minutes after we heard a gunshot."

The cop nodded.  "Well I guess we need to have a little talk with this Jason Morgan.  Right now he is the prime suspect in the death of…"  The cop stopped talking and opened the wallet and pulled out a partially burned drivers license.  "In the death of Zander Smith."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jason and Gia were having dinner at Kelly's Diner.  Jason ate in silence trying not to look at Gia.  She kept staring at the burned spot on his shirt.

"Jason, I know you don't want to tell me what happened tonight, but don't you think you should have a doctor look at your arm?  That's a pretty bad burn," she said.

"I'm fine."

"Jason, what did happen?"

"Gia, I don't want to talk about it."

"But maybe I can help."

"I don't think anyone can help," Jason said.

"Well just tell me what happened."

"I got a call from someone. The man didn't give me a name.  He said he had information for me about who has been trying to sabotage Sonny's business dealings.  He wanted me to meet him at the warehouse."

"Roy's warehouse?"

"Yes.  I should have know it was a set up, but if there was even the slightest chance that I could get that information, it was worth it."

"What happened when you got there?"

"Just a couple of minutes after I arrived a fire started near the door of the warehouse."

"Was anyone there?"

"Zander was there.  Before you ask, he was not the one that called me.  Anyway, Zander pulled out a gun and shot at me."

Gia gasped.

Jason noticed the frightened look on her face.  "Don't worry, he missed me by a long way.  If he his aim had even been close, my gun would have been drawn before he could get a shot off.  It's like he missed me on purpose."

"Then what happened.  He toward the back of the building.  The fire was starting to get out of control so I left."

"Sound like some one was trying to get you blamed for setting the fire."

"That's what I thought too.  At least, no one saw me there."

Before Gia could say anything Detective Taggert came in with two uniformed officers.

"Hi Marcus," Gia said smiling at her brother.

"Gia," he said nodding.

He looked at Jason.  "Jason Morgan, you are under arrest for arson and the murder of Zander Smith."

Gia and Jason stood silently staring at each other in disbelief. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Marcus, you have to be joking," Gia said with a little laugh.

"Gia, this has nothing to do with you.  Please stand aside."

"Nothing to do with me?  You're arresting the man that I love, the man that I intend to marry and you say that it has nothing to do with me.  I don't think so!"

Marcus took Gia aside.  "I can't understand how a beautiful intelligent woman like you could fall for a loser like him," he said pointing at Jason.  "Come on, I'm taking you home, they can handle him."  He took hold of her arm.

Gia pulled her arm loose from his grasp.  She felt the anger building inside her.  She looked at Jason and couldn't believe how calmly he was taking this.  She turned back to Marcus with fire in her eyes.  "First, who I fall in love with is none of YOUR business!  Second, you don't tell me when to go home!  Third and most important, don't you ever, ever call Jason a loser!"

"Gia…"

She didn't want to listen to him anymore.  She walked away and moved to Jason's side.  The two other Officers had handcuffed him while she was gone.

"Marcus, is this really necessary?" she asked pointing to the handcuffs.

"He being arrested for arson and murder, of course they're necessary," Marcus said rolling his eyes.  "Let's go Morgan."

"Wait!" Gia said.  "What evidence do you have on him?  How was Zander killed?"

"Someone set Roy DiLucca's warehouse on fire tonight.  Zander Smith's body was found in the warehouse.  He died from a gunshot wound.  We have two witnesses who saw Morgan here leave the warehouse right after a gunshot was heard."

"But no witness that saw him pull the trigger?"

"No, but…" Marcus started to say.

"But nothing.  Just because Jason was in the warehouse doesn't mean that he's the one who killed Zander."

"Look, I'm just trying to do my job Gia.  May I get on with it?"

"Can I… can I have a moment alone with Jason?" she asked.

Marcus looked at his watch.  "All right, but make it quick."  He motioned for the two other officers to wait by the door.

Gia and Jason moved off to a quiet corner of Kelly's.

"I didn't kill Zander," Jason said.

"I know you didn't," she told him with a weak smile.  "It has to be whoever was setting you up for burning down the warehouse."

"That's what I was thinking," he said.

"Great minds think alike," Gia said leaning in to kiss him.

He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips before Marcus and his men interrupted them.

"We can't wait any longer," Marcus said as the two cops took hold of his arms near his elbows.  "You have the right to remain silent anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future.   If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you by the court  Do you understand these rights?"  

"Yes," Jason said staring at him.

Marcus avoided Gia's eyes as he said, "Take him away."

Gia followed them out.  She got into her car and followed them to the police station.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Twenty minutes later Gia followed Marcus, Jason and the two uniformed officers into the police station.  They took Jason to a desk, sat him in the chair and handcuffed him to the desk.  One of the cops gave Marcus the handcuff key and walked off.

Gia went straight to the pay phone and called Sonny.

"Yeah." Sonny said answering.

"Sonny, it's Gia.  Jason's been arrested."

"What happened?"

"Someone killed Zander and set Roy's new warehouse on fire."

"And of course their first thought was Jason.  I guess they will be paying me a visit soon," Sonny said.

"I don't think so.  They are positive that it was Jason.  Marcus said that they had two witnesses that saw Jason leave the warehouse."

"No disrespect Gia, but your brother has it in for me and Jason.  He could have made up that stuff about witnesses trying to trick Jason into confessing."

"I thought of that," said Gia.  "But I know my brother, he was telling the truth.  Besides, Jason admitted to me that he was in the warehouse, but he swears that he had nothing to do with the murder or the fire."

"Don't worry, I'll call Alexis and get her down there right away."

"Thanks Sonny," Gia said hanging up.

Gia walked over and stood beside Jason.  She could tell that her brother was badgering him.

"You may be facing the death penalty here or life in prison at the very least.  I mean, murdering Zander Smith and then starting a fire to cover it up.  Those are pretty serious charges."

"Marcus…"

"Gia, stay out of this!" he snapped at her.

Gia opened her mouth to say something else, but decided to wait.  She saw the handcuff keys laying on the desk.  Marcus was facing Jason, so his back was to the desk.  Gia quickly picked up the keys and dropped them in her pocket.  She looked around the room as Marcus continued to ask Jason questions and Jason refused to answer them.

She saw a cope lead three women into the room and had them sit down on a bench.  It only took one look for Gia to know what they had been arrested for.  She glanced back at Jason who was still handcuffed to the desk.  Gia began to get an idea.  She reached her hand into her pocket, felt the handcuff key and smiled.

Gia walked over to the bench and sat down next to one of the women.  She slipped some money into the woman's hand and whispered something to her.  The woman nodded and smiled as Gia stood up.

"Wait till I give you the signal," Gia said quietly, before she walked back over to Jason.  She stood behind him and listened.

"So Morgan, do you want to call Alexis or will she just automatically turn up as usual?" Marcus asked.

"She's already been called," Gia said before Jason could answer.  She nodded to the woman on the bench.

All three women jumped to their feet and started screaming and fighting each other.  Marcus and the other officers in the building ran over to break up the fight.  Gia quickly pulled the key out of her pocket and unlocked the handcuffs.

Jason looked at her with confusion.  "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting you out of here so we can prove you didn't do this.  Come on!" she said grabbing his hand.

Jason smiled at her and followed her out to her car.  Gia started the engine and sped off.

Five minutes later, the fight was under control.  Marcus turned around and saw that Jason and Gia were gone.  He ran outside and looked but they were nowhere in sight.

"Oh, Gia.  What have you done now?" he said to himself sinking into a chair.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mac Scorpio entered the police station and walked up to Detective Taggert.  "Where's Morgan?" he asked.

Marcus stood up and faced him.  "He's gone."

"Let me guess, Alexis came in and threatened to sue you for harassing her client," Mac joked.

"No, he escaped," Marcus said reluctantly.

"What?  Escaped?  How?"

"He… He had help."

"Help?  Who was it?" Mac asked.  He noticed that Marcus seemed reluctant to tell him.  "Who helped his escape Marcus?"

"Gia," he whispered.

"Who?"

"My sister Gia!" Marcus said sinking back into the chair.

Meanwhile, Jason and Gia sat in silence as the sped away from the police station.  Every now and then, Jason would glance over at Gia.  He could tell by her face how nervous she was about what she had done.

"You didn't have to do that," Jason said at last.

"I know I didn't have to.  I wanted to.  I just couldn't stand the thought of you spending the night in jail for something you didn't do."

"It wouldn't be the first time," he said with a smile.

Gia shook her head.  "I don't know how you can joke about this.  You were accused of murder remember?"

"Yes, I remember.  Why don't you pull over and let me drive?"

Gia pulled the car to the side of the road.  Jason got out and walked around the car while she slid across the seat.  He got in the drivers side and looked at her.  He patted her leg .  "You know that the police are going to be looking for you too now.  Are you sure you want to go through with this?" he asked.

Gia hadn't thought about that.  She took a deep breath and nodded.  "For you, it's worth it."

Jason smiled and leaned over to give her a gentle kiss.  She smiled back at him as he started the car.

"Where are we going to go?" she asked.

"I thought you knew," he said.  "This escape was your idea."

"I… um… I didn't think that far ahead."

"Well, I guess I had better turn around and go back to the police station.  We can't go on the run if you didn't plan where we'd go," he said with a smile.

Gia laughed, realizing he was teasing her.  She punched him playfully on the arm.  "Seriously, where are we going to go?"

"A cheap motel, somewhere outside of Port Charles."

"And then?" Gia asked.

"And then, we start looking for who really killed Zander.  That's the only way to clear my name.  Now, let's get out of town before the police have time to set up a road block."

Gia nodded.  Jason put the car in gear and headed out of town.

On the other side of town, two shadowy figures approached each other. 

"Has the plan been set into motion?" the first man asked.

"Yes.  Everything went according to plan."

"Excellent.  As soon as Jason Morgan is sent to prison,  my plan can proceed," the first man said with a laugh.  "Here take this, you've earned it." he said handing the other man a package.  "Just be sure to stay out of sight for the time being."

The second man opened it and looked inside.  It contained thousands of dollars.  He nodded at the other man and walked away.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jason sped down the road in Gia's car.  He knew that he and Gia had to get out of Port Charles as soon as possible.  It wouldn't take Lieutenant Taggert long to figure out what had happened.  There would be cops on their tail very soon.

Gia sat in the passenger seat staring out the window.  She was scared to death, but she didn't want Jason to know that.  For his sake she would deal with her fear.  Jason looked over at Gia.  He knew she was scared, but could tell she was trying to hide it.  He decided not to say anything about it.

He looked in the rearview mirror and saw that he had bigger things to worry about.  There was a police car coming up behind them.  Jason wasn't sure whether he should mention it to Gia or not.  He didn't have to think about for long, because the cop turned on the siren.  Gia turned around and looked out the back window.  She couldn't hide the fear on her face anymore.

"Jason…"

"I know," he said calmly.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"We're going to lose them," Jason said as he pushed the accelerator down harder.

Gia held on tightly as the car sped up to over 80 mph.  The siren began to grow louder, she looked behind them and saw that three more police cars had joined the chase.

"Um… Jason?" she said pointing behind them.

Jason looked in the mirror and saw the extra cars.  "Hold on," he told her.

He pushed the accelerator all the way to the floor.  Gia's little sports car was pushed to its limit as he sped up to over 100 mph.  Soon the police cars were out of sight although they could still faintly  hear the sirens.   Jason pulled onto the side of the road and skidded to a stop.

"Get out!" he yelled to Gia.  "I'll lose them and come back for you."

Gia started to protest, but decided against it.  She quickly jumped out.

"Stay out of sight," Jason yelled as he sped off.

Gia hid in the bushes and watched the car speed away closely followed by the police cars which had caught up to them.  

She watched them disappear around the curve and then heard a crash.

"Jason!" she screamed as her eyes filled with tears.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Jason!" Gia cried again.  She heard the sirens stop, followed a few seconds later by an explosion.  She could see the giant fireball rise up from somewhere around the curve.

"No!" she yelled as she sank to her knees.  She buried her face in her hands and wept uncontrollably.  She stayed that way for several minutes before she heard more sirens.  She watched as two fire engines and an ambulance passed her.  "Oh Jason," she whispered.  

Gia jumped as someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.  She turned her head and looked behind her.  A smile crossed her face and she jumped to her feet.  "Jason!" she cried as she threw herself into his arms.

"Shhh," he said as he held her tightly.  Jason put his hand on the back of her head and gently stroked her hair.  "I'm here.  I'm all right," he said.

"How… how did you get out of the car?" she asked with her voice shaking.

"I didn't."

"What?  But…"

"I mean, I wasn't the one that wrecked.  It was one of the police cars."

Gia breathed a sigh of relief.  "I…  I thought…"

"I know, but I'm here now."

She suddenly realized that he had walked back to get her.  "So where did you leave the car?"

"Um… It's in the lake," he said cautiously, not knowing how she would react.

"What?   I thought you said you didn't wreck."

"I didn't.  I pushed it in."

"You… you pushed my car into the lake?" Gia asked not sure she heard right.

"I had to.  We had to get rid of that car.  Your brother knows what it looks like and he probably knows the license number."  Jason saw the angry look on her face.  "Don't worry, when this is over, we'll get you a new one."

Gia smiled.  "I'm sorry.  Here you've been accused of murder and I'm worrying about my car."

Jason laughed.  "Let's get out of here," he said taking her hand and leading her farther off the road.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They ran hand in hand along the roadway, making sure to stay behind the bushes so they were hidden from view.

"Can't we stop and rest for a minute?" Gia asked.

"Not yet.  We have to get farther away from that wreck.  The rest of the cops will be after us again soon and I don't want to be nearby when that happens."

Gia groaned, but kept running.  After about fifteen more minutes, Gia fell to the ground.  "I can't go anymore," she told him.

Jason didn't look happy, but he sat down beside her.  "I understand.  I'm sorry you got mixed up in this," he said taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

Gia smiled at him as she gasped for breath.  "It… wasn't your… fault," she panted.  "It… was my idea to help you escape.  You didn't ask me to."

"I know but…"

"But nothing.  I did it because I wanted to," she said.

Jason smiled back at her.  He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.  As the kiss ended, Gia smiled at him.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded as she got to her feet.  She took his hand and they started off through the bushes again.  Soon they came to end of the bushes.  Jason pointed towards a wooded area. 

"Let's go this way," he told her.  "I don't want to walk along the open road.  It's too dangerous."

Gia followed him into the woods.  After walking for about half and hour they heard voices.  "Stay behind me," Jason whispered to her.  They walked slowly through the woods hold hands.

"Hold it right there!" said a voice from behind a tree.

Jason and Gia stopped and turned towards the sound of the voice.  They saw a hunter standing there with a rifle pointed at them.

"Well look who we have here," the man said.  "If it isn't the couple that that they showed on the TV in the diner."

"What do you want?" Gia asked with fear in her eyes.

"I'm sure there's a reward for catching the two of you," he said lowering the rifle.  "And Hank Grant is going to be the one to collect it," he added pointing to himself.

"What make you think we'd go with you," Jason asked staring at the man.

"Well I'm sure they won't care if you're brought in dead.  After all you are wanted for murder," he said raising the rifle again.  He aimed it towards them.

Jason motioned for Gia to stay back.

"Go ahead kill me," he said. "Just let Gia go."

"No Jason!" Gia shouted.

"Gia don't argue with me. I would happily die right now if I knew that you were going to be safe."

Hank looked at the two of them and shook his head.

"That is very touching Mr. Morgan, but you are both going to die right now. You will die first while your lady watches, then it will be her turn."

He pointed the rifle at Jason and pulled the trigger. A shot rang out.

"No!" shouted Gia as she jumped in front of Jason.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Gia threw all her weight against Jason. They both tumbled to the ground as the bullet struck the tree behind Jason.

  
"So the little lady wants to go first. I can arrange that," said Hank.

  
Hank aimed his gun at her. Gia closed her eyes as another shot rang out. She waited for the bullet to hit her. She expected a sharp pain, but she felt nothing. Maybe being shot to death wasn't as painful as she had thought it would be.

  
"Gia, are you ok?"

  
She thought she heard Jason's voice. Was Jason dead too?

  
"At least we are together," she thought to herself.

  
"Gia!" Jason shouted at her.

  
She felt him shaking her. She opened her eyes to see Jason staring at her.  "Jason? Am I…am I dead?" she asked.

  
Jason laughed. "No, you are alive." He kissed her tenderly. "And so am I thanks to you."

  
"But he had the gun pointed at me. I heard the shot."

  
"The shot came from my gun Gia," said Sonny stepping out from behind a tree. "I got here just before he aimed at you."

  
Gia looked and saw Hank lying on the ground with a gunshot in his back.

  
"He won't be bothering you again," said Sonny.

  
"Thanks Sonny, you saved our lives."

  
She turned to Jason and threw her arms around him.  "Oh Jason, I thought I was going to lose you forever."

  
"I'm fine. But you sure scared me when you did that. Don't you know that you could have been killed?"

  
"I know, but all that mattered to me at the time was to save you."

Jason squeezed her tighter to him.  He looked at Sonny.  "How did you find us?"

"Instinct.  I heard on television about the chase and I figured that after the police car crashed you would abandon the car.  So I went to the crash site and headed away from Port Charles on foot."

Jason looked nervously in the direction they had came from.

Sonny knew what he was thinking.  "I was careful.  No one followed me.  Now, we've got to get you too out of town."

Jason nodded.  "Yeah.  Any ideas?"

"I have it all set up.  If you keep going straight this way," he said pointing, "you'll come to a small cove.  I've got a man waiting there with a boat.  He's been instructed to take you to this little town just south of New York City.  There will be a car there to take you to a secret location in the city.  You can hold up there while you plan your next move."

Jason stared at Sonny for a moment.  "Um, how long have you been planning this?"

"Ever since Gia called and said you were arrested.  I was going to bail you out and then sneak you out of town, but Gia beat me to it," Sonny said smiling at her.

"Are you coming with us?" she asked.

"No, but I'm going to work on finding out what happened.  I know this was a setup."

"Thanks Sonny," Jason said taking Gia's hand and heading off towards the cove.

Meanwhile on the other side of town.  Alexis hurried into the Port Charles Police Department.  Sonny had called her right after he had talked to Gia.  She had a flat tire on the way there.  She had been stranded in the middle of nowhere for hours so she didn't know about Jason's escape or the chase. 

Alexis headed straight for Lieutenant Taggert.  She sat her briefcase down on the desk.  "Ok, I want to know exactly what you have on my client."

"What client?" Taggert asked sarcastically.

"Jason Morgan," Alexis said not understanding.

"Well lets see.  Originally it was arson and murder but now he's also escaped from police custody."

"Escaped?"

"Yes," Marcus said.  He hesitated a moment before adding, "with my sister's help."

Alexis exhaled sharply and sat down.  "All right, let's forget the escape for a moment.  What evidence dog you have against him on the arson and murder charge?"

"I have two witnesses who saw him leave the warehouse right after the gunshot was heard."

"But no one saw him shoot…. Um who is he supposed to have shot?"

"Zander Smith."

"Zander?  Zander is dead?" Alexis asked shocked.

Before Marcus could answer Mac came in holding a file.  He dropped the file on Marcus' desk.

"We just got the autopsy report back," he said.

"So did Zander die from the gunshot wound, smoke inhalation or the burns?" Marcus asked.

"He was killed by the gunshot, but…" Mac told him.

"But what?"

"They checked the dental records.  The body in the warehouse was not Zander Smith."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Taggert stood up and his mouth dropped open.  "What?"

"The body in the warehouse was not Zander Smith," Mac repeated.

"Then who was it?  Where is Zander Smith?"

"If we find the answer to those questions, we'll have this case solved.

Taggert sighed and sank into the chair.  "But we found the Smith's wallet on him."

Mac shook his head.  "No the wallet was found next to the body, not on it."

Alexis had been listening to their conversation with interest.  She stood up and looked at Taggert.  "Well it sounds like Zander Smith wasn't murdered, so you have nothing on my client."

"Think again, Miss Davis.  Jason Morgan was seen coming out of that warehouse after the fire and the sound of the gunshot.  Maybe Zander Smith wasn't murdered in that warehouse, but someone was.  Morgan is still our number one suspect.  Now all we have to do is find him," Taggert told her.

"And your sister," Alexis said.  "You'll be hearing from me."  She picked up her briefcase and left the station.

Meanwhile, Jason and Gia arrived at the cove.  A man was standing on the shore near a small houseboat that was tied there.  He looked up as they approached.

"Morgan?" he asked

Jason nodded.  "Sonny send you?"

"Um, yeah," the man said looking around nervously.  "Just the two of you?"

"Were you expecting more?" Jason asked.

"No.  Um… we'd better get going," the man said ushering them aboard the boat.

Jason took Gia's hand and helped her aboard.  They had barely made it aboard when the man untied the boat and started the engine.  Soon they were on their way.

Gia stood next to Jason for a little while, but the movement of the boat on the waves was getting to her.  "I'm going inside for a while," she whispered to him holding her stomach.

Jason nodded and gave her a kiss.  Gia went into the cabin of the houseboat.  She sat down for a few minutes.  She heard a muffled sound coming from behind  a waist high door.  It didn't sound like a sound a boat should be making.

Gia cautiously walked over to the door and opened it.  There inside the cabinet was a man.  He was tied and gagged.  She wasn't sure what to do.  She knelt beside him and removed the gag.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the man Sonny sent to get you to New York.  Someone hit me in the head and I woke up in here tied," he said.

"So the man out there is…"

"An imposter," the man finished for her. 

Gia quickly untied the man's hands.  "I have to warn Jason!" she said leaving the man to get his feet untied.  She quickly went back on deck and ran to Jason.

"I have to talk to you," she whispered.

Jason followed her to the entrance to the cabin.  "It's a trap!  That's not the man Sonny sent!" she told him.

"Very good, Miss Campbell," came a voice from behind them.

They turned and saw the man that had met them at the cove.  He was holding a gun on them.  "Now its time that I complete what my boss sent me to do," he said aiming at them.  "You may want to say your good-byes now."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jason stared at the man who was holding the gun on them.  He tried to keep his face from showing any emotion.  He was afraid it would place Gia in more danger if the man sensed that he was so worried about her.

"Who's your boss?" Jason asked after a long silence.

"You mean you don't know?" the man asked sneering at him.

"I know that it's probably the same person who set me up for Zander Smith's murder."

"Very good Morgan.  We just never expected you to escape from the police.  We have the young lady here to thank for that," he said turning his gaze on Gia.

Jason instinctively pulled Gia behind him.

"Very touching Morgan, but you won't be alive to protect her for long."

Jason stared at him again.  "I want to know who is behind this!  I want to know why I was set up!" he yelled at the man.

"Why should I tell you?  It's too late for you to do anything about it," the man said pointing the gun at Jason's heart.

Jason was looking behind the man.  The man Sonny had really sent to help them was sneaking up behind the guy.  Jason decided try to keep him talking to distract him.

"Well if I am going to die because of it.  I ought to know who wants me out of the way and why?"

Before the guy could answer, Sonny's man jumped him from behind.  Jason rushed at him front the front and they all three began to wrestle for the gun.  Suddenly the gun went off.

"No!" Gia screamed as she saw blood on the deck of the boat.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"No!" Gia screamed again as Jason fell to the deck.

The other two men continued to fight.  Gia moved out of the way as they suddenly tumbled towards her.  Sonny's man pushed the other man up against the railing.   Gia screamed as both men fell overboard.  They disappeared underwater.

Gia took a quick glance over the side and then ran to Jason's side.  Blood was coming from his shoulder.  "Jason?" she cried.

Jason groaned and opened his eyes.  "Hi," he said smiling weakly at her.

"Are you all right?" she asked crying.

"I'm fine.  It's just a nick."

"But… but there is so much blood…"

"I know, but I'm fine. Don't worry about me," he said sitting up.

"I always worry about you," she said.  She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss.  "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine."  Jason looked around.  "Where did the man Sonny sent go?"

Gia ran to the side of the boat and looked over.  Neither man was in sight.  "They… they both fell overboard.  Jason I just realized it, but they went underwater and neither one came up!"

Jason looked over the side.  He walked all around the boat doing the same thing on each side.  There was no sign of either of them.

"We've got to get out of here."

"What about…"

"We have to worry about us Gia!  Our lives are on the line here."

"Ok."

Jason restarted the boat and steered it towards the south.

Meanwhile back in Port Charles, Zander Smith was sitting in a run down hotel room on the edge of town.  There was a knock on the door.  Zander looked through the peep hole to see who was there.  He unlocked the door.

Two men entered the hotel room.  

The taller one spoke, "The police know that the body in the warehouse isn't yours."

Zander looked a little worried.  "Do they know that I was involved?"

"Not yet," the other man said.  "But we have to take care of things before that happened."

"Take care of things how?" Zander asked nervously.

The taller man patted him on the back.  "We have to make sure Jason Morgan and his girlfriend are eliminated before the police catch up to them," he said heading for the door.

The men left the motel room.  Zander exhaled sharply and sank into the nearest chair.  "What have I gotten myself involved in," he whispered to himself.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

After leaving Zander's motel room, the two men got into the back seat of a black limousine.  They rode in silence for several minutes.

Finally the shorter man spoke.  "What did you mean when you said that Jason and Gia had to be eliminated?" he asked.

"I think that statement was quite clear.  I have given the order for them to be killed."

"Killed?  Now wait a minute!  That was not part of our deal when I hired you."

"I altered the deal.  You wanted Jason Morgan out of the way didn't you?"

"Yes.  I wanted him out of the way, but I didn't want him dead," the shorter man said looking upset.

"Well he will be out of your way... permanently," the taller man said.  He noticed the worried look on his partner's face.  "You aren't thinking about backing out of out little arrangement are you?  If you are, then think again.  Because I assure you that I'll take you down with me."

"But is it necessary to kill them?"

"Yes!  He should have stayed in jail where he belonged.  Since he is on the loose, there is too much of a chance that he'll find out the truth.  He and the girl have to die."

The limo pulled to a stop and the shorter man got out.  He stood and watched as the car drove away.

"No!" he said to himself.  "I don't care what it costs me.  I can't let them kill Jason and Gia.  I have to get word to Sonny so he can warn them."

Meanwhile on a houseboat south of Port Charles, Jason was having trouble steering.  His shoulder was bothering him.  He hadn't said anything, because he didn't want to worry Gia.

Gia sat nearby watching him.  She had noticed that the blood stain on his shirt was growing larger.  She had the feeling that he was hurt worse than he was saying.

Jason began to feel faint and his face grew pale.  He tried to shake it off, but the faintness overtook him.  He passed out.

"Jason!" Gia yelled running to his side.  "Jason!"

She shook him gently, but got no response.  She rolled up his sleeve and looked at his arm.  Gia saw the bullet wound in his shoulder.  She gently raised him up enough that she could see the other side.  There was no exit wound.  That meant the bullet was still in his shoulder.  "Just a nick, huh?" she said to herself.

Gia quickly ran below and grabbed the first aid kit.  When she came back up she realized that no one was steering the boat.   She glanced to the front of the boat and saw that some large, jagged rocks lay directly in their path.


	14. Chapter 13

This is a bad chapter number to be resolving a cliffhanger in, but here goes.  LOL

Chapter 13

Gia ran for the front of the boat.  She grabbed the wheel and turned it sharply to the right.  The boat began to turn but not fast enough.

She braced herself as the boat struck the rocks.  There was a loud crunching sound and then total silence.  Even the boats engines had stopped.

Gia ran to Jason's side to see if he had been injured any more by the crash.  He seemed to be the same.  She went back to where she had left the first aid kit and picked it up.  

She started back below deck to get some water.  There was plenty of water there.  Water was pouring in through several holes the rocks had punched in the boat.  It wouldn't be long until the boat sank.

She ran back to Jason.  "Jason?  Jason, can you hear me?  We have to get off the boat," she said.

Jason groaned.  A few seconds later he opened his eyes.  "What happened?  Where are we?" he said.

"We're on a boat and we're stuck on the rocks.  Do you remember being shot?"

Jason groaned again and nodded.  "How did we get stuck on the rocks?"

"You passed out.  I went to help you and no one was steering the boat.  I tried to stop it, but..."

"Was the boat damaged much?"

Gia stared at the deck.  "Yes.  I think it's sinking.  The galley is underwater."

Jason struggled to his feet and went to look below.  He had a worried look on his face when he came back up.  "You're right.  We're sinking."

"What are we going to do?"

"We're going to get off this boat."

"But you're not strong enough.  What about your shoulder?"

"You're going to have to stop the bleeding."

"But what about the bullet?" Gia asked.

"We'll worry about that later."

"But..."

"Look, this boat will be totally underwater by the time you get that bullet out.  We'll do that later."

Gia nodded.

Jason quickly gave her instructions on how to bandage his shoulder.  She followed the instructions and soon had the bleeding stopped.

Jason pocketed the first aid kit.  "We might need this."

Gia looked at the shore.  It seemed so far away.  She knew Jason couldn't swim with the bullet in his shoulder.

"How are we going to get to shore?"

"Follow me," Jason said.

He climbed over the rail of the boat where it was stuck on the rocks.  Gia followed close behind him.  She took his hand and the walked over the rocks until they made it almost to shore.  They were able to wade the rest of the way in.

"Let's go, we have to get to town and call Sonny," Jason said taking her hand.  They began walking south along the shore.

Meanwhile at Sonny Cortinthos' Penthouse, Sonny was checking with his sources trying to find out who was setting Jason up. He heard a commotion outside the door.

"I told you that you can't go in there now," said Johnny.

"I have to see Sonny," said a familiar voice.

Sonny went to the door and opened it.  "What is going on out here?"

AJ Quartermaine pushed past Johnny and entered the penthouse.  "I have to talk to you.  It's important."

Sonny stared at him a moment.  "I don't have time for..."

"It's about Jason."

Sonny waved Johnny out.  "What about Jason?"

"You've got to warn him."

"Warn him about what?  You have thirty seconds to start making sense or I'm personally throwing you out."

AJ took a deep breath.  "I'm the one who set up the fire in the warehouse and the fake murder charge.  Well I hired someone to do it."

Sonny got an angry look on his face and grabbed the front of AJ's shirt and pulled him so they were standing face to face.

"You!  You did this?"

"Yes.  I'll get into that later, but you have to listen to me."

"Why should I listen to you?" Sonny said pushing AJ backwards onto the floor.

"Jason's in danger.  I just wanted him sent to prison so my family would finally see me as the good son, but the man I hired..."

"What about him?"

"He's out of control.  He's hunting for Jason and Gia.  He intends to kill them," AJ said standing back up.

Sonny stared at him a moment.  He could tell from the look on AJ's face that he was serious.

"Stay there!  I'm not done with you yet," he told AJ.

Sonny went to the phone and called the house where he had sent Jason and Gia.  He spoke to someone for a few minutes before hanging up.

He turned to AJ with a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"The boat Jason and Gia was on never made it to shore to meet my car."


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Sonny's Penthouse

"They... they never made it?" AJ asked.  "Does that mean that something happened to them?"

"It could.  There may have been a problem with the boat.  I'm going to try Jason's cell phone," Sonny said.

He dialed Jason's number.  Jason's cell phone lay abandoned on the deck of the houseboat which was quickly disappearing under the water.  The cell phone was ringing.  The water covered the phone just as the voice mail picked up.  The phone went dead right in the middle of the message.

"I don't like this," Sonny said.  "The voice mail message just stopped."

AJ looked frightened.  For the first time he could remember, tears started down his face.  "It's all my fault.  Why did I hire that guy.  It's not worth my brother dying for.  I... I never wanted him dead."

Sonny wanted to yell at him, to tear him apart for what was happening, but he seemed to be so genuinely concerned for Jason he couldn't.  "Yes, this is all your fault.  You may have cost your brother and Gia their lives.  If you're as sorry as you say you are, you'll help me find them."

"Anything.  I never thought I'd be working with you, but this is too big for me to handle on my own."

"OK, tell me who is this man who is after them?"

"I... I don't know," AJ said.  He saw the look of disbelief on Sonny's face.  "I telling you the truth.  The guy never told me his name."

"How did you meet him?" Sonny asked.

"I... I was drinking again.  It was just after my family cut me and Courtney off.  I went to a bar, and got drunk.  I started talking to the man sitting next to me at the bar.  I complained about Jason to him.  He said he could help me.  He said he could set it up that Jason would go to prison.  That appealed to me a lot, at that time."

"What about later?"

"When I sobered up, I tried to back out of it.  This guy wouldn't let me.  He threatened to hurt Courtney if I tried to get out of the deal.  So I went along with it.  But when I found out today that he planned to kill Jason and Gia, I had to do something.  That's why I came here."

"Ok," Sonny said.  "The first thing we have to do is find out where Jason and Gia are."

Meanwhile in a wooded area south of Port Charles, Jason and Gia made their way through the brush.

"Where are we going?" Gia asked.

"We have to find a phone.  I need to call Sonny and have him send another car for us.  I have no idea where this place is that he wants us to stay."

Gia nodded and took his hand as they kept walking.

About fifteen minutes later, they came to the edge of a small town.  They walked into town and quickly found a payphone.  Jason quickly dialed Sonny's number.  Sonny answered.

"Sonny, it's Jason."

"Jason!  Where are you?"

"I'm not sure, some town.  Look the guy you sent to take us to meet your car was knocked out and tied up.  The guy that met us tried to kill us, but your man managed to save us.  He and your man both fell overboard, they never came up."

Sonny sighed.  "Jack's dead?"

"Jack?   Was that his name?  I'm sure he is, neither man came up."

"Stay where you are we'll find you."

"We?"

"AJ is here.  Look it's a long story.  I'll tell you about it when I see you."

While Jason was talking on the phone, a black car sped down the road and stopped right in front of them.  Three men jumped out.  Two of them headed for Jason and began fighting with him.  The third grabbed Gia and began to pull her towards the car.

"Jason!" she yelled.

Jason looked up at the sound of her voice.  The distraction was all the men needed to knock him out.  They pushed Gia into the car and sped off leaving Jason unconscious on the ground.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Gia struggled with the men in the van as it sped away.  They finally managed to tie her up.

"Who are you?  What do you want?" she asked.  She wasn't scared, she was angry.

"You'll find out when the time is right Miss Campbell," one of the men said.  This man appeared to be in charge.

"How do you know my name?"

"Oh we know everything about you," he said.  The man noticed the confused look on her face and added, "Our boss gave us a complete file on both you and Mr. Morgan."

"Your boss?  Who is your boss?" she asked getting angrier by the minute.

"Miss Campbell…"

"Don't you Miss Campbell me!  I want to know who's setting up Jason and I want to know now!"

The man snapped his fingers and another man crawled forward holding a gag.  He started to put it on her.  Gia bit him.  The man howled in pain.

The first man grabbed the gag from the injured man.  He moved behind Gia .  "If you bite me, I'll make sure you never see Mr. Morgan again." he said as he tied the gag around her mouth.

Gia gave both men a furious look.

Meanwhile, Jason's groaned and struggled to open his eyes.  He finally got them open and sat up.  He looked around, but didn't see Gia anywhere.

"Gia?  Gia!" he yelled hoping she was close by looking for help.  Suddenly he remembered seeing those men throwing her into the back of a van.

He struggled to his feet and went to the first store.  The door was locked.  He walked along the street trying the doors on all the stores.  None of them were open for business.

He knew he needed to tell Sonny exactly where he was so he could get there fast.  The first thing he needed to do was find out the name of the town, but he didn't know how.

Jason knew that Sonny was already on his way, but since the boat hadn't docked where it was supposed to he had no way of knowing where they wound up.

"Think Jason," he said to himself.  He glanced at the payphone he had used to call Sonny from.  "That's it!  The phone book."

Jason went to the pay phone and pulled the phone book out from under it.  "Clarksville, New York," he read.  He picked up the phone and dialed Sonny's cell phone.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Sonny and A.J. were sitting in the backseat of Sonny's car.  They rode in total silence.  Sonny still wasn't happy about A.J. being there, but he have the time to argue with him.  The silence was broken by a cell phone ringing.

Sonny pulled his phone from his pocket and answered it.  "Yeah?"

"Sonny, it's Jason."

"Do you know where you are yet?"

"Clarksville, New York.  Listen we were just attacked by some men in a van.  They took Gia."

"We'll be right there," Sonny said.  He told the driver where he wanted him to go and sat back.

"Something happened, didn't it?" A.J. asked.

Sonny nodded solemnly.  "Some men attacked Jason and Gia."

"There's more isn't there?"

"Jason said they took Gia."

A.J. turned pale.  He already expected Jason to be furious with him about being behind the setup, but now the man A.J. had hired had taken Gia.  A.J. knew that if anything happened to her that Jason would come after him.

About 20 minutes later, the car stopped just inside of Clarksville.  Jason ran to the car and got in.  He started at A.J. for a moment before turning to Sonny.

"What's he doing here?" Jason asked.

A.J. took a deep breath.  "I'm the one who set you up at the warehouse."

Jason gave him a furious look and lunged at him, but Sonny stopped him.

"Hold it Jason.  You can take care of A.J. later.  He was responsible for what happened at the warehouse, but not the rest of it,"  Sonny said holding Jason off of A.J.  "We need to worry about getting Gia back first."

 Jason glared at A.J. then nodded at Sonny.  "So who's responsible for Gia being taken.

"The man I hired," A.J. offered.  "I don't know his name.  Please believe me, I never thought he'd go this far."

"Can you describe him?" Jason asked.

"He was tall, had dark hair and dark eyes.  He also had a mustache and beard."

"Well that's something," Sonny said.

"Wait, I remembered something else," A.J. said.  "He was wearing a tie.  The tie had the letters SC on it.  I think they may be his initials."

"Are you willing to try to make contact with his again, so we can follow you to the meeting?" Sonny asked.

A.J. nodded.  "Yes, I'll do anything to help."

Meanwhile the van was pulling to a stop outside a large house and the two men in the back got out .  The men pulled Gia out of the van.  They untied her hands and forced her into the house.  

She had been blindfolded so she couldn't see where they were taking her.  She felt herself being led down a flight of steps.  She heard a door open.  She was shoved inside the room and the door was slammed behind her.  Gia put her hands to her face and removed the blindfold and gag. She looked around the small room she was in.  The only furniture was a chair and a small table in the corner.  She could see a window above her head.  It appeared she was in a basement.

The door opened and the tall man that had been in the van came into the room.  "Welcome to my home," he said.  "Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Luis Alcazar."

"So are you the one who's behind this?" Gia asked with anger in her eyes.

"No.  Although I must say that getting Jason Morgan out of the way will help my plans to take over Sonny Corinthos' territory.  However, I am only following my boss's orders."

"So when do I get to meet your boss?" Gia snapped at him.

"Right now."

Alcazar walked to the door and opened it.  A tall, dark haired man walked in.  Gia's eyes opened wide with fright.

"No.  It can't be.  You're… you're dead," she managed to say before she passed out from shock.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Gia struggled her eyes open.  She looked around the room and saw that she was laying on a sofa in a luxurious living room.  With a great deal of trouble, she managed to sit up.  Her eyes fixed on the two men sitting in chairs nearby.

Luis Alcazar, who was the man that abducted her, was sitting next to a man that she thought was dead.  It was Nikolas' father, Stavros Cassadine.  The two men were so deep in conversation that they had not noticed that she was awake.

She stared at him a moment before she was able to speak.  "You're the one behind this?" she finally asked.

Stavros turned to face her.  "Gia my dear, so nice of you to join us," he said with a smile.  "Welcome to my home."

"Is this a trick?" she asked suspiciously.  "Luke said you fell down a bottomless pit.  You couldn't have survived."

"No, its no trick.  I am really here.  As for Mr. Spencer, well he should have stayed around longer.  If he had, he would have noticed that there was a ledge about fifteen feet down the hole.  A grabbed onto that ledge and pulled myself up on it.  I waited there for someone to rescue me.  Then we left through a secret exit even Nikolas didn't know about."

Gia shook her head.  She couldn't believe what she was hearing.  "What… what do you want with me?"

"I want to use you as bait my dear," Stavros said with a laugh.

"Bait?  Bait for what?"

"To lure Jason Morgan here.  You see when I learned that Mr. Alcazar here was helping A.J. Quartermaine to set up his brother with a murder charge, I thought I could use it to my advantage."

"A.J. set Jason up?" Gia asked in disbelief.

Stavros nodded.  "I thought with Mr. Morgan in jail, I would have an easy time getting to you.  But…"

"You wanted to get to me?  Why?" Gia interrupted.

Stavros glared at her.  "You do not interrupt me when I'm speaking," he said.   "However,  I will answer your question.  I intend to get you back for Nikolas."

"You intend to… Does Nikolas know about this?  Have you talked to him?"

He shook his head.  "No."

"Then you should know that Nikolas broke up with me.  He doesn't want me back," she said as her anger grew.

"Nikolas is young and foolish.  He let Mr. Morgan steal you away from him.  Soon you two will be married and back on our island, where you will both be under my control," Stavros said.

Gia started to comment, but she saw Alcazar place his hand on the gun in the waistband of his pants.  She decided now was not the time.

Stavros smiled at her before he continued.  "Like I started to say, you had to interfere with the plan and break Morgan out of jail.  So now I'll just have to do things my way."  He stopped talking and waited for her response.

"Your way?" she asked.  "What do you intend to do?"

"I intend to get Jason Morgan out of your life forever.  In fact he will be out of everyone's life."

"You mean…" Gia started to say before Stavros interrupted her.

 "Yes," he said with an evil smile.  "I intend to kill Jason Morgan."

The color drained from Gia's face and she fainted again.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Sonny had his driver pull up next to the first payphone they came to.  A.J. got out of the car and picked up the phone.  He pulled some change out of his pocket and dialed a number.  He looked around nervously while he waited for someone to answer.

Luis Alcazar picked up the phone.  "Yeah," he said.

"This is A.J. Quartermaine."

"Yes Mr. Quartermaine, what can I do for you?"

"I need to meet with you and your boss, one more time," A.J. said.

"I think we've spoken all we need to."

"Listen!  Tell your boss if he wants to get paid, he'll meet with me this afternoon."

A.J.  heard him talking to someone in the background.  He began to feel nervous.  He was worried what would happen if they refused to meet with him.

"Mr. Quartermaine, are you still there?" Alcazar asked.

A.J. cleared his throat.  "Yes, I'm here."

"We'll meet you at the abandoned house off Prescott Street."

"Fine.  What time?" A.J. asked.

"5 pm," Alcazar said.

"Fine, I'll be there."  A.J. hung up the phone and walked back to the car.

"Well?" Sonny asked as A.J. got in.

"It's all set.  I'm supposed to meet them at 5 pm."

"Perfect.  We'll get there ahead of you.  When they leave we'll follow them and hope they lead us to Gia," Jason said.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Sonny, Jason and A.J. had taken a room at a cheap motel just outside of Port Charles.  They needed a place where they could talk and plan their next move.  A.J. had been to pacing back and forth for about the last half an hour.  He was very nervous and was getting on Sonny and Jason's nerves.

A.J. finally stopped pacing and said, "So the two of you are going to be hiding where you can see the house while I go in and meet with them…"

"Wearing a wire," Sonny finished for him.

"How is this going to help find Gia and clear Jason?" A.J. asked.

"First we hope to find out who these men are and second we plan to follow them when they leave," Sonny said.

"With any luck they'll lead us right to Gia," Jason added.

"What about this phone number you gave me?" A.J. asked pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket.

"I explained that, you don't call that number unless you're sure that Jason and I are in trouble."  Sonny said.

A.J. nodded and looked at his watch.  "It's almost 4 o'clock, you two should go ahead and get into position."

Sonny nodded and headed for the door.

Jason started to follow him, but stopped and took hold of the front of A.J.'s shirt.  "Don't let us down," he warned him.

A.J. swallowed hard and nodded.  "I  won't."

A short while later, Sonny and Jason had settled themselves in the bushes, on a hill, a short distance from the abandoned house.  They had a good view of the front door.

"There's A.J.," Jason said as he watched the car pull up to the house.

They watched A.J. get out and walk up to the door.  He tried to open it, but it was locked.  He looked around to see if anyone was around.

From where they were hiding, Sonny and Jason saw a large black car pull up and two men get out.  The men approached A.J.

"I know that guy," Sonny said as he saw the men's faces.

Before he could say anymore, they heard a noise behind them.  "Ok, both of you, stand up!" ordered a rough voice.  "Slowly!".

Sonny and Jason stood up slowly and turned around to see two men holding guns on them.  One of the men pushed them back against the nearest tree and tied them up.

"Tell the boss we've caught Morgan," the tall man said with a smile as the other man headed down the hill to the house.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

After his partner left to alert their boss, the man that was guarding Sonny and Jason walked a short distance away.  Jason turned to Sonny and stared at him.

"Why did you signal me not to do anything?" he asked.  "I could have easily taken those two."

"I know you could," Sonny said.  "But you have to remember that sometimes it's better to use strategy instead of strength."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that if you had taken those two guys out, it would have tipped their bosses off," Sonny said nodding his head at the two men talking to A.J. at the bottom of the hill.

"So?"

"So if that had happened it we would ruin our best chance to locate Gia.  By letting them catch us we increase the odds of finding her."

"I get it.  These guys will probably take us right to Gia," Jason said.  "Great idea."

Sonny nodded

The men came back and untied them from the tree.  "Come on, the boss wants to see you two."  They walked down the hill with guns pointed at their backs.  They stopped in front of A.J. and the two men.

"Ah, Mr. Corinthos, we meet again," said Stavros.  "This is my associate, Luis Alcazar."

"Stavros Cassadine," Sonny said shaking his head.  "I thought Luke Spencer killed you."

"Yes he did, twice to be exact."

"What are you doing back in Port Charles?"

"Getting revenge on Mr. Morgan here.  He stole my son's girlfriend.  I intend to make sure he gets her back."

"Does Nikolas know about you little plan?" Jason asked.

"Not yet, but he will."

"You do know that he is the one that broke up with Gia don't you?  It wasn't the other way around."

"Yes.  I'll have a talk with him.  He'll soon see why that was a mistake."

"What do you intend to do with us?" Sonny asked sounding bored.

"I'm not sure what I will do with you Mr. Corinthos.  As for Mr. Morgan I intend to make sure he pays with his life for what he did to my son," Stavros said.  He nodded to his men.  "Get them out of here!" he ordered.

The men pushed Jason towards the bushes and into the back of car that was hidden from view.  They did the same to Sonny.  Sonny nodded to A.J. as he was pushed past him.  A.J. hand went to the piece of paper in his pocket.  He knew what he had to do.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

A short time later, the car pulled to a halt outside the same large house that Gia was being held in.  Sonny and Jason were pulled out of the car and shoved into the house.  They were taken down a flight of stairs and shoved into a dimly lit room in the basement.  The door was locked behind them.

They stood in silence a few minutes while their eyes adjusted to the dim light.  When his eyes were finally able to focus, Jason saw something in the corner of the room.  He gasped.

"Gia!" he yelled running to her side.  She was lying on a cot with her eyes closed.  "Gia?" he said again shaking her gently.  She didn't respond.  He turned to Sonny.  "There's something wrong with her."

Sonny came over and looked at Gia.  He put his head down to her chest.  "She's breathing and her heartbeat is strong.  I think she's been drugged."

"If they hurt her, I'll…"

"Calm down.  I'm sure she'll be fine."

"How can you be so sure?" Jason asked.

"Jason.  Stavros wants her to marry his son.  There is no way he is going to give her anything that would harm her."

Jason nodded.  "You're right."   He sat down on the cot next to Gia and stroked her face with his hand.  "I just worry about her.  She risked a lot to help me escape from the police."  He got up and looked at Sonny.  "So what's the plan?"

"First we need to get Gia somewhere safe.  Then we have to find a way to prove that Stavros set you up."

"Do you have any ideas how we are going to do this?"

"I have a plan.  We're going to need some outside help on this one.  Stavros is not the kind of person we're used to dealing with, but I know someone who can help get Stavros out of our lives."

"That's great, but how are we going to get in touch with this person?"

"Unfortunately the only person that can help us with that is A.J.  I gave him a number to call if we were caught.   Of course, A.J. didn't know that I planned on us getting caught."

Jason shook his head.  He wasn't happy that they had to depend on his brother.  "I hope you know what you're doing.  A.J. isn't the most trustworthy person I know.  I hope he doesn't let us down."

"So do I," Sonny said sitting down on the floor.

***

Meanwhile across town, A.J. stopped his car by a pay phone and got out.  He fished the slip of paper out of his pocket and dialed the number.  He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly while he waited for someone to pick up.

Finally a voice at the other end said, "Luke Spencer."


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Luke?" AJ said nervously.  "This is AJ Quartermaine.  Please don't hang up."

"You have two minutes.  What do you want?" Luke asked.

"Sonny asked me to call you.  He and Jason need your help."

"What kind of help?"

"They need your help to get rid of the man who is behind all the trouble Jason has been having.  He's captured all three of them."

"All three of them?  Who's the third person?" Luke asked.

"Gia."

"Why does Sonny think I would be able to help?"

"Because you've dealt with this man before," AJ said.

"I have?  Who is it?"

"Stavros Cassadine."  There was a long period of silence.  "Luke, are you still there?" AJ asked.

"Yes, I'm here.  Where should I  meet you?"

"I'm at a motel right inside Clarksville, New York.  Meet me here and I'll take you to where Stavros is holding the others."

"I'll be there as soon as I can.  Don't move," Luke said.  He hung up the phone.

***

A short while later, just outside of town, Jason was still sitting on the cot next to Gia.  She still hadn't woke up.  Sonny was pacing the room  Every few minutes he stopped to check his watch.

"I hope AJ was able to get in touch with Luke," Sonny said as he stopped in front of Jason.

"I just hope we can trust AJ to make the call," Jason said

"He knows the consequences if he doesn't make the call."

Gia groaned and began to move.

"Gia?" Jason said.  He got off the cot and knelt beside it.  "Gia, can you hear me?"

She groaned again and opened her eyes.  "Jason," she whispered.

"It's me.  I'm right here," he said as he smoothed her hair with his hand.

Gia managed to sit up with Jason's help.  "How did you find me?" she asked.

"We didn't.  Stavros' men grabbed us too," Sonny told her.

"Are you all right?" Jason asked.  "Did Stavros hurt you?"

Before she could answer, two of Stavros' men came in the room.  They were both holding guns which they pointed at Jason and Sonny.

"Over there," one of the men told them. 

Jason and Sonny slowly moved to the spot the man had indicated.  Gia started to stand up to follow them.

"Not you," the man told her.  "This will be over in a minute."

"What will be over?" Gia asked nervously.  "What are you going to do?"

"We are going to do what Mr. Cassadine ordered us to do.  We're going to kill Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos."

The men raised their guns and pointed them directly at Jason and Sonny.  Gia started to get up again.

"Gia stay back!" Jason yelled.

She stopped where she was.  "I… I love you Jason," she said as tears formed in her eyes.

"I love you too," he said.

Gia turned her back.  She couldn't watch what was about to happen.  A few seconds passed, then she heard two gunshots.  "No!" Gia yelled as she fell to her knees crying.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"No!" Gia cried again.  She couldn't turn around.  She knew that she couldn't stand to see the man she loved lying dead on the floor.

Her entire relationship with Jason flashed through her mind.  She remembered special everything from their first date to their confessions of love a few minutes ago.

She felt someone place their hand on her shoulder.  "Go away!" she yelled.  She assumed that it was one of Stavros' men.  "Haven't you done enough?"

The hand remained on her shoulder.  "Gia?" a familiar voice said.

Gia's eyes grew wide with shock as she turned to face the man.  'Jason?" she whispered.  "Oh Jason, you're alive."  She got to her feet and threw her arms around Jason's neck.  She kissed him passionately.

"Um… Gia… We're not alone," Jason muttered against her lips.

Gia pulled away and looked around.  She saw Sonny standing on the other side of the room.  Stavros' men lay dead on the floor.  Luke and AJ stood in the doorway, each holding a gun.

"Did they…?" Gia started to ask.

"Yeah.  Luke and AJ showed up just in time.  They shot Stavros' men before they could pull the trigger." Jason told her.

Gia walked over to Luke.  "Thank you," she said looking back and forth between him and AJ.

Luke smiled at her.  "You can thank me later.  We need to get out of here and devise a plan to defeat Stavros once and for all."

"Luke," Sonny said.  "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"No problem.  What are friends for?"

"Friends huh?  So we're friends again?"

"Yeah," Luke said.  "Let's get out of here."  He headed to the door and waited for the others.

Jason took Gia's hand and led her from the room.  He wasn't thrilled with having to ask Luke Spencer for help, but Sonny trusted him and that was good enough for him.  He trusted Sonny's instincts.  Besides Luke had dealt with Stavros before, so he knew what to expect.

They made their way to A.J.'s car and took off.

***

In another part of the house, Stavros and Luis were watching their escape on a monitor.

"Do you want me to go after them?" Luis asked.

"No.  Let them go.  When I'm ready for them, they'll come to me," Stavros said with confidence.

"You sound awfully sure of that."

"Let's just say that I have a little insurance policy."

Stavros snapped his fingers and two of his men brought Carly into the room.  She was blindfolded and her hands were tied behind her back.  He nodded to his men and they took her away.

"So what do you plan to do?" Luis asked.

"I plan to make a little trade.  They turn Gia over to me or Mrs. Corinthos dies," Stavros said with an evil laugh.


End file.
